


it reminds me of you

by simpleParadox



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Confessions, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 13:50:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5787577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpleParadox/pseuds/simpleParadox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scanlan brings home an enchanted candle that smells like everyones favorite scents. But what the gnome doesn't know is how it helps two of his friends realize their huge crushes on each other.</p><p>Based off the amortentia potion from Harry Potter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	it reminds me of you

**Author's Note:**

> just a little thing i wrote when my friend mentioned that harry potter potion. thanks sarah for ruining my life.

Percy barely batted an eye when Scanlan barged into the kitchen with the “hottest new item” as he so graciously put it from Gilmore’s Glorious Goods. It wasn’t unlike the gnome to buy anything that caught his eye and it drove Vex up the wall, so he knew where this was going. Scanlan was going to show them a mediocre, useless magical item then Vex would lecture him about his spending habits for half an hour. Percy just sighed as he took another sip of his tea. 

“Scanlan, what have I told you about-,” Vex started before the bard cut her off. 

“No-No, listen, this thing is great, I promise,” he told her with an award winning smile as he pulled the object out of his bag. Percy raised an eyebrow to see that it was just a regular old candle. 

“You bought…wax,” Grog pointed out, his words muffled by all the food he had stuffed into his mouth. Their servants were ought to be given a raise by all the shit they put up with. 

“Grog, it’s a candle,” Pike told him, patting her small hand on Grog’s large bicep. 

“Not just any old candle!” Scanlan announced, standing on a chair and placing the candle in front of him as if he was about to perform a magic trick. “This candle is enchanted to smell like every individual's favorite things!” 

“So, it smells different to everyone?” Keyleth question, wonder forming in her eyes. 

“Yup! Now we no longer have to complain about what the keep smells like. We just light this candle and everyone will smells their favorite smells,” Scanlan finished, as if he was trying to sell them on his buy.

“I don’t remember any of us ever complaining about that,” Vex told him, no longer amused. 

“Well, it’s certainly cool so who the fuck cares!” Scanlan said, sitting down on his chair. “Keyleth, why don’t you use your cool new fire hands to light this baby?”

Keyleth, who still seemed excited about this, nodded furiously and put her finger to the wick of the white candle. Her now always soot covered fingers began to turn into a warm red, setting the wick ablaze.

“Who wants to try it out first?” Scanlan asked. 

“I do!!” the druid said, raising her hand as high as she could in the air. She grabbed the candle, careful not to have hot wax drip on her, then wafted the scent of the magical candle. 

“Mmm, it smells like lilies, and-and a warm campfire, and chocolate beans,” she mused, eyes closed as she took in the scent. 

“I wanna try!” Grog yelled as he swallowed his food, taking the candle away from Keyleth, who looked a little offended by the action.

Grog, holding the candle upright to his face, the flame getting dangerously close to his nose, breathed in. “Oh yeah, smells like mead, ale, and, haha, the blood of my enemies!” 

“That’s disgusting,” Percy said under his breath. Vax heard him and chuckled beside him. 

They eventually all took turns smelling the candle. Pike smelled the sea and the fresh bread they made at the temple. Vex smelled the forest, the metal ting of a gold piece, and blooming roses. Scanlan smelled honey, fire whiskey, and his favorite brand of aftershave. 

Percy really only paid attention once the candle got to Vax. The half elf smiled, almost amused by the situation, and huffed the candle. Surprise caught his features for a second, something only Percy could see from sitting right next to him. 

“Smells like…Gilmore’s shop, Vex’s soup she makes me when I’m sick, the mint leaves that our mother would crush up to make the hut smell better and…,” Vax stopped for a moment, as if contemplating something. “And that’s it.” 

Percy was going to say something before Vax pushed the candle under his nose. “What do you smell, Percival?”

Percy gave him a look before pushing up his glasses and taking the candle from Vax’s hand. As he took a breath he felt warm, all of his favorite scents taking him through memories. “I smell gunpowder,” he started, recognizing the familiar smell of iron and coal, the black soot constantly on his clothes and hands. “And cinnamon and vanilla tea.” His favorite type of tea, he might add. He remembered they had recently run out of it and made a mental note to pick some up the next time they went into town. 

“There’s also…the brandy my father used to drink.” He could remember it so clearly now, his father pouring the brown and gold liquid into a priceless glass, setting it down on his desk as he took out the book he was reading at the time. He has a fond image of the man sitting at his desk, sipping the brandy and adjusting his reading classes. His study had been the first room to pass from the stairs of his workshop, so he would alway catch his father in that position. It was the first image to come into his head whenever someone mentioned his name. 

One day, when he was around 14, his father stopped him in the hall when he was coming back upstairs from his workshop. He was surprised to say the least but followed his father's order and sat down in the chair at the front of the desk. His father set his book down and took off his reading glasses. That’s when Percy saw that there were two glasses of whiskey on the desk as opposed to just one. 

“Percival,” his father started, folding his hands together in front of him. “What have you been working on down there, in the workshop?”

Percy was slightly surprised, his father never really took an interest in any of his inventions. “Uh, I-I’ve been working on this device that uses buttons to print letters on paper, so you don’t have to use a quill to write. It will save a huge amount of time writing up documents and whatnot.” Percy fiddled with his glasses, a nervous habit he seemed to pick up.

His father was silent in thought before he cracked a smile, brown eyes beaming at Percy. “Sounds like a tremendous idea, son.”

Percy smiled back, happy for his father's approval on something he’s worked so hard on. “Just curious, but why do you ask?”

His father let out a small sigh, not a disappointed one, but more of one from a man who’s been thinking too much. “I know you have no plans on taking on the Lordship of Whitestone and its responsibilities.” Another moment of silence. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about your future. You’re my son and I’m proud of your accomplishments, whether they affect Whitestone or not. One day I’m not going to be around anymore and I want you to know that I’m proud of you son, no matter what you do with your life.” 

There was never any doubt in his mind that his father didn’t care about him, but there were times where he seemed to talk more with his older brothers than him. It was mostly family business stuff but it had made Percy feel a bit excluded. But hearing this from his father made him feel a lot better. He felt warm and loved. 

“Thank you,” Percy said, a smile wide on his face. He couldn’t help it. 

“And I think you’re old enough to share a drink with your old man,” his father chuckled as he handed the glass of brandy over to Percy. They clinked glasses and took a sip, Percy remembering the musty and sharp smell. He recoiled slightly as it burned down his throat, making a face at the liquid. His father laughed and told him he’d get used to it. 

Percy was pulled from his memory as the send of brandy faded and was replaced by something else. It was an odd scent, smelling vaguely of flowers but also…something else. It was almost like the scent itself was tainted, making it indescribable. 

“There’s another scent, I swear I’ve smelled it before but I can’t for the life of me tell what it is,” Percy told the rest of the party, staring at the candle with a puzzled expression. 

“Gimme it, I wanna smell it again,” Keyleth said, making grabby hands toward the candle. Percy laughed and handed it to her joyous face. Vex put her face in her hands, knowing that this candle was going to be trouble. Percy could've sworn that Vax moved his chair slightly closer to him.

* * *

 

On one hand, being home was nice, it gave Percy the time to work on inventions and make more bullets for his guns. But it was also troubling, because now Percy had time to think. 

And his thoughts always traveled back to Vax. There’s no doubt in his mind that he’s been crushing on the half elf for a while. Although one part of him wanted to act on this feeling, the other half of him, the anxiety ridden half, kept convincing him to stay away. Too many problems would arise with them dating because it would not only affect them, it would also affect the party. So, while he was stuck with his own thoughts, he decided to just not worry about it. Not doing anything about his problems wouldn’t necessarily make them go away, but it also didn’t rule out the good sides of it either. 

Feeling his stomach growl Percy decided that it was time for a break and headed upstairs to the kitchen. His hands were still covered in soot and he was slightly sweaty, his white hair sticking to his forehead from the heat of the forge. As he began to think about the sandwich he was going to make he noticed Vax sitting on the carpet in the living room, resting against the front of the couch, the magical candle lit on the table in front of him. 

Curiosity and that little spark in his heart that drove him mad made him take a detour from the kitchen. He approached the rogue, who had already sensed him coming, and looked down at him. “Everything alright?” he asked. 

Vax nodded at him. “Just thinking,” he said and twirled one of his daggers in his hand, staring at the candle in front of him. 

“Mind if I join?” Percy asked. 

“Please,” Vax smiled, patting the floor next to him. Percy settled down on the floor, so close to Vax that they were touching. Neither of them seemed to mind.

Percy sighed contently as he breathed in the scents of the candle again. It wasn’t overpowering at all, it didn’t throw every scent he loved at him all at once. It was gradual, the scents fading into other scents, as if weaving a story. Soon enough the brandy changed to that odd smell once again and Percy was left looking puzzled. 

“What’s with that look?” Vax asked him, studying Percy’s face. 

“Just this one scent I can’t seem to place,” Percy told him, turning to look at Vax. 

Vax nodded, averting his gaze slightly. Something seemed wrong about Vax. He was being too quiet. 

Percy was just about to ask if everything was alright before Vax started talking again. Instead of being deep in thought he looked determined, taking a deep breath before saying, “You want to know what the last thing I smell is?” 

Percy raised an eyebrow. “Huh? You have another one?”

“Yup,” Vax said, biting his lip. “It’s gunpowder.” 

Percy’s eyes widened, staring at Vax in shock. “W-What? Why?”

Vax smirked, turning his head to look at Percy once again. “Because it reminds me of you.”

Percy felt his cheeks heat up as he said that, felt his heart stop for a split second. He started sputtering, not knowing what to say. 

“You’re adorable when you’re nervous, you know that?” It seemed as if Vax had regained all his confidence once again. Percy swallowed hard. Did this mean that Vax felt the same way about him? 

“I should’ve told you this sooner but I’m a bit of a wuss,” the half elf chuckled, placing his dagger down on the carpet. “I like you a lot Percival.” 

Percy was stunned into silence yet again, left staring at Vax as all the words seemed to have left his brain. 

“Now would be a good time to say something, Percy…” Vax told him, looking nervous again.

“Oh, I’m sorry! It’s-It’s just,” Percy stuttered. “I like you a lot too.” 

A sigh of relief left Vax, almost blowing out the flame that lit the candle. Then he started smiling, a wide smile that spread across his face. One he’s seen before, when Vax sees someone he cares about deeply. And it was directed right at him. 

Now, Percy wasn’t one to act on impulse. He liked being prepared, he liked having things planned in advance so he was always ready. But now just felt right and that spark in his heart seemed to ignite something inside him. 

Percy cupped Vax’s cheek and kissed him, enjoying the surprised sound the rogue made when their lips made contact. He quickly melted into the kiss, it all feeling so natural and long overdue. After a few moments Percy froze and pulled away. 

Vax, noticing his expression, asked “What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?”

“Huh? No, of course not!” Percy laughed a little. “It’s just that smell, the one I couldn’t seemed to place. It’s you.”

It was now Vax’s turn to blush, his cheeks going slightly red while the tips of his pointed ears were a dark crimson. 

“What the hell is that smell anyway?” Percy asked, making Vax chuckle.

“Oh, Vex always yells at me about this. It’s mostly from the poisons I keep on hand. Some of them smell, like a lot,” Vax explained. 

“That explains the odd flowery smell. I’m assuming they're all herbal based?” Percy inquired, raising a hand to his chin in thought.

“Mostly, yeah. I hope the smell doesn’t bother you…,” Vax turned away shyly.

“Of course not,” Percy told him, closing the gap between them once again, smiling against his lips. “I love it.” 

 


End file.
